Chapter 66: Imperial Examination

But Shen Shilang declined and stayed at home to study.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the imperial examination.

The day before the imperial examination, Su Jinshi went shopping in the mall, selecting things for Shen Shilang that would be useful for the examination.

In addition to the down jacket, Su Jinshi also bought Shen Shilang a down quilt, knee pads, and leather gloves that only showed the fingers.

Some of his fingers are exposed to make it easier for him to hold a pen, but it doesn't affect his writing too much, but it is warm enough.

"Try writing with these gloves and see if you are used to it. If you are not used to it, I will see if there is any other way to keep your hands warm." Su Jinshi said.

Now Shen Shilang has gradually gotten used to some of the new and interesting gadgets Su Jinshi gave him that Daxi doesn't have.

He put on the gloves Su Jin gave him.

The leather is thin and soft, fits the hand well, and is not filled with cotton or other materials in the middle.

The finger sleeve part exposes the first two sections of each finger, making it easier to bend the fingers.

Because most of my hands are covered by gloves, I don't feel cold even though my fingertips are exposed.

Shen Shilang wrote a few lines on the paper to test it out, and said to Su Jinshi, "Compared to not wearing gloves, it's a little different, but the impact is not significant."

Shen Shilang continued writing as he spoke, filling up a whole page.

Su Jinshi noticed that he was getting more and more comfortable with writing, and his handwriting was no different from when he wrote without gloves.

"How is it?" Su Jinshi asked hurriedly.

Shen Shilang smiled, "I'm already used to it."

"It's still cold in the capital, and the exam rooms are all open cubicles." Shen Shilang said, "I'll wear these gloves to write tomorrow, so my hands won't freeze."

Su Jinshi was very happy to be able to help Shen Shilang.

In the afternoon, Shen Shilang packed up the things he would need for the examination the next day.

Su Jinshi also helped from the side to think about it, to make sure nothing was missed.

Early the next morning, Su Jinshi specially bought soy milk, fried dough sticks, two eggs, and two side dishes for Shen Shilang from the mall.

"In my world, when I was in elementary school, the full score for each subject in the exam was 100. So on the morning of the exam, my family would let me eat a fried dough stick and two eggs to bring good luck to me. These two together equal 100." Su Jinshi said as he dipped the egg in tea and wrote 100 on the table.

"Then I hope I can get good grades too." Shen Shilang happily finished the breakfast that Su Jinshi gave him, then packed his bags and went to the Imperial Examination Hall.

When Shen Shilang arrived, there was already a long line in front of the Imperial Examination Hall.

Since Su Jinshi was around, Shen Shilang did not bring any dry food.

Just like during the provincial examination, when no one was paying attention, Su Jinshi would bring him some hot steamed buns and pies, things that would not attract attention but were hot and delicious.

In the morning, I would cook eggs and porridge for him.

While queuing, Shen Shilang met the scholar he had met in the inn before.

After greeting everyone, someone asked him, "Brother Shen, have you seen Xu Liangchuan?"

"No." Shen Shilang shook his head. There were many candidates waiting in line for inspection in front of the examination room, but Shen Shilang didn't notice it. "There are too many people. It's really hard to find."

Another person said, "I heard that he will not participate in this examination."

"Why? He did well in the provincial examination this time, why doesn't he take the exam all at once?" Another person asked curiously, "Besides, he has already come to the capital, if he doesn't take part, wouldn't it be very costly?"

"I heard that he's still not well." The other person said, "Didn't he have a stomachache at the inn where we stayed earlier? Didn't he go to the toilet all night and get exhausted? He even thought he saw a ghost. We thought it was an illusion caused by his weakness, but he seemed to really believe that he saw a ghost."

"When he had a fever, he was talking nonsense and kept shouting about ghosts." The man said, "Later, the fever subsided and he recovered, but he was always suspicious. Especially at night, he didn't dare to sleep at all. He said that he had to keep candles lit in his room and didn't dare to blow them out. But even if he lit candles, the light in the room couldn't illuminate much, and the heavy shadows made him even more scared."

"Wouldn't it be scary when it's dark and scary when it's bright?" said another person.

"Who said it wasn't true?" the man said, "So, he couldn't sleep for nights. He saw ghosts when he closed his eyes, and when he opened his eyes and saw shadows, he felt that something was hiding inside. He was not in good spirits."

"In this state, how can I take the exam?" The man shook his head and sighed, "So I packed up and returned home. I don't know when I will be better. If I really go crazy, I'm afraid I will be crazy for the rest of my life... Oh!"

Su Jinshi sent a private message to Shen Shilang, "I didn't expect to scare him like this. Who knew he was so easily frightened, even worse than Wei Jianming."

Look how strong Wei Jianming is. He didn't even get sick from being scared.

"Don't blame you. He reaped the consequences of his own actions." Shen Shilang said in a low voice without moving his lips.

Please...collect 6...9...books...!

The others were busy gossiping about Xu Liangchuan and did not notice Shen Shilang's voice.

Then I heard someone say: "However, I heard that Xu Liangchuan's second place in the provincial examination is not glorious."

"Could it be about the fact that Shi Minglei, the most talented man in Jinzhou, suddenly suffered from diarrhea before the provincial examination?" someone said immediately.

"So you've heard about it too." The man said, "I heard that Shi Minglei's knowledge is much better than Xu Liangchuan's, and before the provincial examination, Xu Liangchuan happened to go to see him. Then he had diarrhea and it affected the provincial examination."

"I have a friend who is in Jinzhou. He heard that Shi Minglei broke up with Xu Liangchuan after the provincial examination and pointed out that it was Xu Liangchuan who harmed him. It's just that Jinzhou is far away, so the news from there has not been transmitted in time. It was only when my friend's letter arrived the day before yesterday that I learned about this." The man said, "If Shi Minglei had performed normally, it is hard to say whether Shi Minglei could have won the first place, but Xu Liangchuan would definitely not have been second."

"If it's true, then it's Xu Liangchuan's retribution." A scholar said, "I really don't understand. Xu Liangchuan is well educated. Even if he can't get second place, it shouldn't be difficult for him to get into the top ten. Why would he harm others for the sake of second place?"

"What he said about seeing a ghost that day might be true. The ghosts and gods are not happy with this villain, so they came to stop him."

Everyone was chatting in the line, and before they knew it, it was their turn to be checked.

Shen Shilang successfully passed the inspection and found his own examination cubicle. After entering, he placed his things on the table one by one.

He took out the gloves Su Jinshi had given him and put them on.

Because I was doing the examination, I didn't wear gloves, so my hands were a little cold.

Now when I put it on, I feel warm immediately.

Fortunately, the day went relatively smoothly.

During lunch, Su Jinshi secretly placed the buns and hot porridge bought from the mall in front of Shen Shilang while no one was paying attention.

When you rest at night, you can put down the wooden board of the compartment to use it as a door panel, which can also block the wind a little.

(End of this chapter)